20 years
by gem1990
Summary: A song fic about how life changes for Marie. I am bad at summaries. I know that.


_Title: 20 years_

_Category: Song fic. Song: 20 years and 2 husbands ago by Lee Ann Womack_

_Authors note: I wrote this all today and it is meant as a one shot. Please, please, please review._

_Pairing: Logan and Marie._

_Universe: Set after... X-1. It's not important though._

_Lookin' in the bathroom mirror puttin' my makeup on  
Maybelline can't hide the lines of time that's gone_

Looking into the mirror I stare at the scar tracing down my stomach, I touch it and smile at my reflection. Looking back to the day it happened I remember the fear of my delivery and then his first cry. The relief at the doctor's words saying he would be fine. Sadness when I realized Bobby wasn't there.

I put my on foundation and a bit more blush. Nothing quiet works to cover the crow's feet by eyes, but it helps. Sliding on my black camisole and faded jeans, I slide my feet into my flip flops and pad quietly down the stairs. Daniel is playing at a table that has seen so many days it's hard to believe I've been living here for 20 years. Its scratches are deep and it has burn marks on it from where the wood was scorched by a hot pan that missed the heating pad; but it was in my home from day one.

Jason suddenly tackles my legs. "Hey baby." I greet as I scoop up my youngest son.

Daniel looks up and says "Hi, Mommy."

"Have you eaten yet, Sugar?" I ask him with a smile as I press a kiss to the side of his face. Jason makes a face and I remember that now he's the ripe old age of 7 and thinks he's too old for kisses. My baby boys. Jason smiles as I put him down on the floor again to play and a pang goes through my heart. He has his father's smile. Thinking back to that bastard makes me sad, and angry, so I push the thought out of my head and focus on getting my kids ready for school.

_Driving the kids to school today, it occurred to me  
With all the wrong turns that I've made,  
I'm right where I should be_

On the way to the drop them off for school I look over at Daniel and he smiles. Bobby used to do that, I let my mind wander to my past. Whenever I looked his way he'd smile and squeeze my hand or something sweet like that. He was so sweet at first. We were perfect when it first started. Stopping at a red light I think of when I first started to fall apart.

He wanted to go back to the mansion for a Christmas party and I wanted to stay home. I was pregnant and the idea of traveling didn't appeal to me much. He yelled that they were his family and he wanted to be there with them. The yell woke up Daniel who had been sleeping in his car seat in the back of the car.

"Could you please lower your voice?" I'd hissed at him. "And what about me and Daniel? We're your family. I am just asking for this Christmas at home with your family. Is that too much to ask for? I'm only a few weeks off from delivery and I want to relax at home." I didn't think it was too much of a thing to ask for; but he did. He said he was going whether I liked it or not. I broke down and cried in the car as he drove.

I had known for a while things weren't going well but it was close to Christmas and I was so tired. I was pregnant again only a month after Daniel was born and Bobby seemed to not even care. The lack of love was so tangible that Daniel would cry nonstop in his father's arms. Thankfully he didn't experience his father's indifference for very long.

When Bobby came back from the party he had papers, for divorce, and ones saying I owned the house and car and everything else. He was there for maybe an hour and I cried the whole time. The words "Were through" kept going through my head. He left without even asking to see the boys.

He never called, never asked about the kids. I sent pictures once but they were sent back, the letter unopened.

Turns out he was living with Kitty now.

The first year was horrible. I had lived with Bobby since I was 18. We had dated for years before that. We'd found that house and bought it and settled in. The first few years as a married couple were dreamlike perfect. The decision to have kids had been wanted on both sides. We thought it would be good. I guess I had hoped it would keep us from drifting apart even more. But that was years ago. And I had moved on. And it was worth it all. My sons are completely worth it.

_That was twenty years and, two husbands ago_

_Water under the bridge  
I guess that's all life really is, that's just the way it is_

I see the kids off with a hug and a kiss and watch them walk into the school. I stop at the store a few blocks down and pick up some chips, Molson's, and some other things. Spinning my wedding band on my finger I drive home with a smile. Frying up some slices of steak and make a steak sandwich for my husband. I get into the car again and take off. I turn the CD player on low and smile. Now that I'm getting regular doses of Logan I have enhanced senses too.

They aren't nearly as strong as Logan's and they fade over time but Logan makes sure I have little doses of his mutation every few weeks. He says he doesn't want to lose his wife. And it's worked. My looks haven't aged since I was 32. I'm afraid of outliving my kids but I don't want Logan to continue to outlive everyone and be alone. It is worth the sacrifice.

I pull off the paved road and the tires crunch on the gravel loudly. I drop down into third gear as I wind my way up the mountain. The tree's are so pretty; the greens vivid and browns rich. I pull into small pull off next to several other vehicles owned by the loggers up the mountain. I get out and bask in the sunlight for a few minutes. Sure enough the sound of a four wheeler approaching has me turning my head to the curve. Logan grins as he comes around the corner and the wind flips through his hair. He stops near the car and waits for the dust to pass before he jumps off.

"Hey Darlin' what are you doin' here?" He asked.

"Bringing you lunch of course." I answer as I saunter over and kiss him.

"You know the guys always have something delivered." Logan answers as he wraps his arms around me.

"I know but I wanted to bring you something. Thanks for letting me sleep earlier." I referred to the letting me sleep as he got up and went to work.

"No problem. You looked like you could use the rest." He kisses the side of my forehead and strokes my back. I inhale deeply, the scent of Logan, cigars, and trees. "How are the kids?" He always asks about the kids. He's such a great father.

"They're at school of course. And they're doing fine." I smile up at him and whisper "I love you."

"I love you too Darlin'. More than anything." He looks into my eyes for few seconds and then nods towards the car. "Wha'd you bring today?" I pull the food out and we sit on the four wheeler as he pulls out his sandwich.

Another four wheeler comes down and pulls into the pull off.

"Hey Marie, wha'd you bring me this time?" the rider asked as he hoped off the bike.

I laugh at him and shake my head. "I brought ya'll some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with nuts. I remembered you like extra chocolate but you have to share." I admonish with a grin as he runs over to see me. I pull the plate out of the bag I'd brought and hand them to him.

"Thank you ma'am." He says as he grabs the plate and immediately takes a bite out of a cookie.

"I mean that Donny. You better share that with the others." I warn with a shake of my head.

He grins deviously and Logan laughs. "They'll never make it up the hill." Logan says as he watches Donny start giving orders in the walkie talkie.

"Road's clear. Send 'er down." Donny finishes. Within minutes a log truck filled to the brim rolls down the mountain. The driver, Jacob, waves as he drives by. I know all the guys Logan works with. Logan's been their Bullbuck for the past few years. He leads his team well and they're one of the most productive teams in the state. He'd worked from the bottom up to the lead position and everyone respects him and his orders. They even have parties every so often with all the member of the families of the loggers. It's like a large family.

"So how has the morning been?" I ask. I wave at Donny as he goes back up the mountain.

"It's been a mess. Donny didn't show it but he almost got killed today." Logan said with a slight growl.

"Oh my god. What happened?" Donny was so close it's like he's Logan's little brother.

"The guylines fell, you know the sky line we put up yesterday? Something happened and they were loose. This morning when we were attaching the choker and moving up a log it snapped. It just came loose. Thankfully it hit the ground but without the guyline the choker isn't being held. The ground is still pretty loose and the tree slid. It didn't go far but it could have been bad. Donny was down in the gully a ways since he noticed the wire wobbling but he couldn't get out of the way fast enough. If it would have rained last night it could have caused a real mess." Logan's eyes were narrowed as he spoke and I know it was because he was beating himself up over it. He's protective of his crew and he blames himself for any problem. No doubt someone was going to get their ass chewed out for selling faulty products.

"So he wasn't hit or anything." I breathe out a sigh of relief.

"The tree slammed into a few other tree trunks and it stopped about 10 feet away from him. He was trapped down there. I should have made him move." Logan's anger makes his voice drop and his fists curl.

"It isn't your fault. He could have ran to the side to avoided it. He knew the risk he was taking by going down the gully instead of around it." I sooth as I stroke the side of his face.

"When did you get so smart?" Logan asks as a smile touches his lips.

"Since I married a logger." I laugh as he pulls me to his chest.

"What about you? How's your morning been?" His question reminds me of my earlier thoughts. I'm perfectly content here with Logan.

I am always truthful with Logan. Something we both demanded from each other from the get-go so I tell him about the things I was thinking of today.

"My life has changed a lot over the last twenty years." I whisper. "But I'm glad. This feels like where I should be. Lord knows I've made enough mistakes and been through enough heartbreak during that time. But… it's alright." Logan tightens his arms around me and laughs.

"You're an amazing woman you know that?" he asks. He looks down at his watch and sighs. "I better get back to work."

"Be safe." I tell him after he kisses me goodbye. I know it may be useless to say that to a healing man but I can't help it. I watch him drive off and get back into my car. There, inside, is a card. I pull it out and I feel my heart swell. It's a birthday card from all the guys in the crew. "How sweet." I whisper as I tuck it back into the envelope.

All during my drive home my thoughts are full of mundane things like what chores need to be done and what will happen next in the current romance book I'm reading. All thoughts, however, flee my head when I see a familiar man standing there in my driveway. My stomach drops to my toes and my eyes glaze over. It's been just almost 8 years since I saw that face. It's aged some and I realize that to the rest of the world aging is normal. Logan and I won't age and our children are still growing so we don't notice. I have the faint wonder, at times, what the rest of the people from that mansion look like now; but I banish the thought. I cut ties with them years ago.

I unbuckle my seatbelt, slowly, and open the door. Stepping out I see his eyes look me over. I can't tell what he's thinking anymore though; his face is an unreadable mask.

"What are you doing here?" I curse myself inwardly as my voice shakes.

"I came to wish you happy birthday." He holds out his arms and walks towards me as if to hug me. Alarm bells starting going off in my head and I wish Logan was with me suddenly.

Holding out my hand I glare at him. "What gives you the right to come back here after so many years?" I feel like snarling and I know that it's part of the repeated Logan absorptions.

"You look well." Bobby says as he stopped. His eyes are cold though as he smirks.

"Unfortunately I can't say the same for you." I mock angrily. He just laughs and stands there.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? We have so much to catch up on." Now I don't know if I'm being paranoid or what, but it sounds an awful lot like a veiled threat. I walk around him and to the front door and unlock it.

Once inside I slip my keys into my pocket and show him to the living room. A stupid thing to do since he lived here for years and the layouts the exact same but still.

"I have to go to the bathroom." I excuse myself and walk quickly to the bathroom. I dial Logan's number and when he picks up I flushed the toilet. Feeling safe with the cover noise I whispered the problem. "Logan, Bobby is here and he's freaking me out. Can you get back here?"

I'm half afraid he'll laugh; but he growls and I can hear his boots crunching in the gravel and his bark of an order saying he had to go and to keep working. "I'll be right there." He promises. I closed the phone and wash my hands to maintain the appearance. Walking out I brush a lock of hair out of my face. Bobby gives me a look from down the hall. He's looking at a picture on the wall.

"So this is where the elusive Wolverine has disappeared to." The disgust and mockery is clear in his voice and anger surges through me.

"Get out of my house!" I bellow. A chill sweeps through the house and his fists turn to ice. I gulp and my jaw trembles slightly. I don't want to absorb him. And I know that if he ices up he'll win the fight.

"Don't forget who bought you this house." He snaps. "I come back to wish you a happy birthday and I find out you have been letting my kids around an animal?" Thank goodness my children are at the school. I don't want them to be around for this.

"I worked hard to pay for this house too! You left me and the children and no matter how many times I called or wrote you never responded. They are lucky to have such a wonderful father as Logan who loves them very much." The room dropped about ten degrees.

"He is not their father." The words were as cold as his demeanor and it is becoming increasingly obvious that something was indeed very wrong with Bobby.

"What do you want?" My voice trembles yet again as Bobby completely freezes his body and turns into his moving ice form. He takes a step forward and I feel my mutation turn on instinctually. My skin tingles and I raise my hand before my face.

"I will hurt you." I threaten.

Bobby laughs, a mean sound that wasn't at all the sound of the carefree Bobby from my past. "No you won't. You forget, we were married. I know everything there is to know about you. You hate using your mutation. It drives you insane all those voices in your head and you can barely get rid of them. And I know you have always had a weak spot for me. You won't hurt me." His taunt hits home and I glare at him.

"You know everything there is about me? Did you know that when your second child was born it was a boy? Did you know I named him Jason? Did you know that giving birth to him nearly killed me and I was so afraid I would die and nobody would be there to take care of Daniel? Did you know that I still carry the scar from the surgery to save Jason? You don't know anything about me! And apparently I never knew anything about you." I look away from him in disgust. "Because the Bobby I knew would never be so… He would never do something like this. He wouldn't have left his family for a cheap fling and he-" my words turn to a squeak as Bobby lunges forward. My feet scrabble backwards and my back hits the wall with a thud.

With a speed I didn't think he could manage, he's down the hall and he slaps me across the face. His hand in ice form is like a brick and I feel a crack as my head spins.

"Don't you ever call her that!" His eyes were like a crazed mad man and before either of us could speak Bobby's tackled.

Logan's fist smashes into Bobby's chin and when metal meets ice: the ice is the first to give.

"Get your hands off of my wife." He growls as he punches Bobby again. I back away and watch the fight. Bobby grabs Logan's wrists and begins to freeze them. I know Logan's metal coated bones would only make things worse so I do the only thing I can think of. Grabbing Bobby's arm I let my mutation pull. When his body returns to human I let go and focus on turning my mutation off. The Bobby in my head is screaming obscenities at me but I have to focus on the two dazed men. Logan's trying to move his frozen arms and Bobby's lying on the floor. Logan gets up and steps back, Bobby is still on the floor. I must have taken more than I thought. He's still awake but gasping for breath.

"Bitch." Bobby muttered and a part of me let go. I kicked him as hard as I could in the stomach. His grunt and the way he wraps his arms around himself is most satisfying.

"What should we do with him? If we call the cops they'll get hurt when he regains strength." I point out as I stare down at him. How had we gone from loving each other to trying to kill each other?

"We could kill him." Logan offered but seeing the look on my face he stopped. "Why not call Chuck? See if they know what to do with him?"

"Logan…" I begin. I don't want to think about why 20 years ago today I basically stopped seeing or talking to them. I maintained some contact till Bobby left but after that I never spoke to or heard from them again.

"I'll call." Logan said as he pulls out the phone. I hear him say something about Scooter so he must be been talking to Scott. I'm barely aware of the conversation as I watch Bobby. I try to calm down the mini Bobby in my head enough to listen to him, but he keeps thinking about Kitty. She… I gasp and Logan looks over at me.

"Kitty's dead." I inform him and his eyes darken. "That's why he is back. The rest of the mansion was mad at him leaving me except for Kitty. And now he's all alone. He wants me or Daniel or something." I finish sadly. I go from hating to pitying the man on the floor.

"Scott says that we need to contact the cops and they will send out mutant cops. They have the suppression collars and they can take him in." Logan says as he snaps the phone shut. I look down at Bobby and see my past. I touch his face and he flinches away. He's still barely there. I can feel my tears well up and spill over as I listen to Logan call the cops. Bobby was my first love. I went through a string of boyfriends after him but I never loved anyone else till Logan had come along. And I guess what they say is true. You never forget or really get over your first love.

"Why did you choose this?" I ask softly.

"Do you still love me?" He asks through slurred speech. I wonder if one of Logan's punches affected his brain.

"In a way I always will… But I can never love you like that again. Logan is the only one for me. You left me when I needed you the most. You can't just come back and demand a family."

"I'm sorry." He whispers. Nothing more is said until the cops come. They take our statements and lead him away. I cry so hard that Logan has to leave me at home while he goes to pick up the kids.

I hear them enter the house but I can't bear to see the resemblance so I just curl up in my bed. Logan slips into the room and curls up behind me and I roll over and snuggle against his chest. "What… What do you want me to do?" He asks.

"Love me." I whisper.

"I already do." He murmurs before kissing my lips lightly.

"You know, Logan. Just because I cry doesn't mean I miss him or anything. I just can't believe how much he has changed for the worse. I love you more than anything." Logan nods and I can see that my words have soothed some of the tension in his face. I say no more throughout the night; I just lay there in his arms and breathe in his scent.

The next morning when Logan leaves for work he takes the kids to school. He says he wants me to relax. I look at the calendar and sigh. So much has changed. I was fine with knowing that somewhere Bobby was out there happy with Kitty; but now knowing that he's locked up somewhere alone. It makes me hurt. I cared for him deeply; he had been my best friend for years. Part of me feels that he's getting what he deserves. Another part of me wants to help him.

I rub my stomach absently and think of the new life growing inside me. I pray that it will look like Logan. The phone rings and I answer it with a cheerful hello.

_But I go back there from time to time  
Lookin' for that peace of mind,  
And find it's always just a dead-end road  
Yeah that was twenty years and, two husbands ago_


End file.
